Guild Wars_ Edge of Destiny - J. Robert King [78]
“Here we are,” Eir replied.
Magnus sighed, his breath ghosting from his nostrils. He stepped into the workshop. “Well, anyway, congratulations!”
“Something like that.”
Magnus set his boot on a nearby chair and leaned toward them all. “Now I need a favor.”
Logan said, “What kind of favor?”
“Help me hunt down and destroy another dragon champion.”
Rytlock arched an eyebrow. “Who is this dragon champion?”
“His name is Morgus Lethe,” Magnus responded. “He rules the black seaways beyond Lion’s Arch—he and swarms of undead. They attack ships and tear through their hulls and drop them to the bottom. They kill hundreds of sailors a week and turn them into more undead.”
“Can’t you handle a few undead?” Rytlock asked. “After all, they are prekilled.”
“One by one, they are nothing, but where there’s one, there’s a thousand.”
Logan put in, “If you haven’t noticed, there are only seven of us.”
“Yes, but you defeated a thousand before,” Magnus replied. “And I have a personal score to settle with this devil Morgus Lethe. In life, he was a norn like me, captain of the Cormorant before me. Since he fell among the undead, they have known our every move, our every route, our tactics, our vulnerabilities. I need—”
“You need strangers,” Eir interrupted.
Magnus nodded thoughtfully. “You’ve destroyed one dragon champion. Help me destroy another.”
“We must,” Caithe said. “If we are not yet powerful enough to face down a dragon, we must face down their champions. We must fight them.”
Logan shrugged. “Sounds less dangerous than another night of celebration in Hoelbrak.”
Rytlock growled. “I’m not leaving until tomorrow.”
Caithe, Logan, and Rytlock exchanged looks, and Caithe spoke, “We’ll go.”
“Of course we’ll go,” Eir said, “all of us. We go not just because you asked, but to destroy another dragon champion—”
“Wonderful!” Magnus proclaimed. “Morgus Lethe, prepare to meet Destiny’s Edge!”
From Her Royal Majesty, Jennah,
Queen of Kryta and so forth . . .
To Logan Thackeray
Greetings:
The news spreads through Kryta of your conquest of the Dragonspawn. Congratulations, my dear Champion. I knew that my trust in you was well placed. Your brother was relieved to hear the news as well, though he hid it with annoyance. Comparing your battles against icebrood to his long days guarding castle walls, I can see why he might be jealous. I hope that, someday, you both find common ground and brotherhood.
I had hoped you would return to Divinity’s Reach, but I hear that is not to be. With the news of your victory also came a report of your next mission: to face Morgus Lethe, champion of the dragon Zhaitan.
It seems you are most alive in the heart of danger.
My heart tells me to forbid you to go. I should. An entire army would have difficulty facing Lethe. You are my champion, not one of Captain Magnus the Bloody Handed’s sailors. But I know you will not turn away from danger. Not when doing so could aid Kryta. And in that, I support you.
But if you lose to Morgus Lethe, it would be worse than losing an army.
So, your Queen must allow you to go. Yet still, I think of you often. I imagine you marching across blasted tundra, battling monsters in caves of ice, standing stalwart against our enemies. Perhaps I am just imagining the battles you fight, but I choose to believe we have a deeper bond. When you are finished killing Lethe—which I know you will do—I hope that you will come to Divinity’s Reach. I would see you once more, and greet you as a true hero of our grateful nation.
Your grateful queen,
Jennah
MORGUS LETHE
Two weeks later, Captain Magnus the Bloody Handed led a pair of tiny geniuses on a tour of his gigantic galleon—the Cormorant.